Shoe-sewing machine.



T. G. PLANT. Y SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 4, 1908. EBNEWED NOV. 22, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

Patented May 17, 1910.

T. G. PLANT. SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

AYPLIOATION FILED Nov. 4. 190B. ummm Nov. 22, 1909.

Patented May 17, 1910.

UNITED sTATns PATENT ermee.

THOMAS PLANT, orBosT'oN, MAssAeHsnTTs.

SHOE-SEWING MACHINE.'

. Specification of Letteiis Eatent. Ptcntcd hInfy 17, 1910. p

Application led. November 4, 1908, Serial No. 460,995. Renewed November 22, 1909. Serial No. 529,307.

` To dll'who'm it may concern:A

Be it :knoivnthat LTnoaias G.^,PL.NT, a citizen of the` United States, residing `at Boston, in the. county yof Suffolk 'and State `of. Massacht1setts, have'ini'e'nted anl improvement in Shoe-Sewing iMachines, ,of which the following descriptlon, 1n connection with the accompanying dra-wings', is a specificzbV tion, li kev characters on .the p drawings 'reprev senting like parts.

The invention to 'be hereinafter described relates to sewing machines and more partieularly to the type of snchmachines employed in attaching the weltto'the insole and upper of a shoe,`and commonly known as Weiters In the type of machine` referred toit has been common, in positioning the Welt with relation to the stitchformingLmechanisrn` and shoe, to employ a Welt' guide. It has been proposed, heretofore, to'move this Welt guide directly toward and against the `Work just prior to the'advance movement of the needle in the stitch formation", and aftenthe needle has pierced the Work, receivedA the loop'of thread from the looper, and retreated,nsually its full retracting stroke, to move the Welt guide directly away from the work to allow the Work to he fed, such movements of the Welt guide being in a plane substantially parallel to the plane ot' the needle movement. As the shoe is fed, the Welt guide beingthen in its retractedposition, the, Welt is4 drawn `through the" ivelt' guide or measured for the next stitch. This direct 'backward movement of the Welt guide obviously tends to draw the welt outward from the shoe, puts a strain upon and tends to loosen the last stitch unitingr the welt to the shoe. As the shoe 'is fed the welt must be drawn through the welt guide thus causing a drag opposed to the feed movement, to minimize-Which, it has been necessary to makethe welt guide `suiliciently large to permit the Welt to have a loose fit therein. As willbe apparent to those familiar'with this type of machine, such loose lit of the welt in the Welt guide permitsthe `Welt to have a latitude o movement `euch that the vneedle will sometimes not Lpierce the 'line of feed andh return, .to thereby @measure the Welt for the next stitchit'vhile'.

' at 17 `to the back gage 18. The other arm the'needle is in the Work. Suchreturnimover -ment 'of the Welt guide after the shoe has be'enffcd has been made, however, n-ith the Welt guide resting against the work` so that 'as the welt guide slid along the work in its return movement it would cause vthe upper lof the shoe tobe pushed into wrinkles or `plaits ahead-ot' the Welt guide with obvious objectionable results.

lith these general matters in view the "present invention aims to provide means for giving Jto the welt guide the desired movements to properly position the welt for the stitch forming mechanism and to measure =or cause welt to be drawn 'through the welt guide for the next stitch without the objections incident to the prior devices, all of which will best be understood .from the following description in connection with the'accompanying drawings which disclose one form or embodiment of the invention. f

In the drawingsz-F-igure 1' is a partial side elevation of sullicient parts of a shoe sewing machine to show the features of the present invention, parts being broken away to show other parts beyond; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail and detached view looking at the frontv of the machine typifying the needle, awl, Welt guide, work and stitches; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the path of welt guide movement; Fig. 4 is an edge or front view of the link connection between the Welt guide and back gage; and 'Figa 5v is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the welt guide movement as heretofore proposedm The main supporting trame i, the driving shaft Qincunted therein and suitably driven, the needle 3, thc awl 4, the looper 5, the af:- tuating means vfor said part whereby the desired stitch is formed, and the back rest 6 vmay be of usual and well understood construction and operate in a manner as heretofore in the stitch formation and familiar to those skilled in the art.

Mounted to slide-in the guideway 7 substantially in the direction of work feed and return is the slide 8 froinwhich projects Vthe arm 9 carrying the awl 4, asusual, and Athe welt 'guide 10, pivotally mounted thereon at.1`1,ra nd providedwith a guiding part 12, for thc Welt i3. The welt guide l,has ,an extended portion provided with a .slot 14C into which projects a pin l5 carried byan arm 16 ota bell-crank lever pivoted of the bell-crank lever is preferably formed of two parts 19 and 20, having a knife joint connectlon at 21 so that they may have a limited amount of relative movement under the actionof a spring 22 joining the arm 16 and part 20. The endcf part,20 is bifurcated at 23 and engages a fixed pin or stop 24, the construction being such that as the back gage 18 'moves toward and from the work it-will carry the pivot 17 of the bell crank, while the pin or stop 2t will hold the part 20 of the bell-crank arm' relatively fixed, thus the arm 16 will raise the end of the Welt guide '10.and remove the welt guide from the work as the back gage moves rearwardly and will cause the welt guide to approach the work with. a. yielding action, due to s ring 22, when the back gage moves forward y, as will be clear.

Since the welt guide is pivota'llyf'mounted on the arm 9 carried. bythe fee slide 8, the pin 15 o'n the arm 16 is made suiheiently long, see Fig. 4, to maintain it in engagement with the end of the welt-'guide as the latter partakes of the slide movement.

Theislide 8 is actuated -b an arm 25, as usual, `said arm being prov'ic ed with a roller .26 traveling in a cam groove 27 formed in or on a cam carrying element or wheel 28 which'is itself mounted to rotate with the main shaft 2, the cam groove being formed to move the slide 8, and consequentl the awl, and the welt guide carried there y in the direction of work feed and return, as will be fully understood by those skilled in the art.

The back gage 18 has connected thereto-4 at 30 'a spring 29, the opposite end of which is attached to a pin 31 on the head frame 1, the tendency of saidspring being to move the back gage toward the work, and when in such position a catch 32, by engagement with the 'teeth 33, holds the back4 gage in position, as usual in this class of machine,

'being tripped at desired times by the trip arm 32x to permit the back. gage to move Pivotally" mounted at is a back gage actuator 35, having an end 36 adapte to contactwith a -bloek or stop 37 on the back gage 18 to withdraw or` move the back gage to therear against the action of the spring 29. The.- other end of the actuator 35 has a' roll j38" which travels in a cam path 39 rotating with the main shaft 2 and preferably formed inthe side of the cam carrying element or wheel 28, said wheel being rotaslide 8 so that just 38, from a to b, causing the welt guide to move into contact with the work, where it remains while .the part b-c of earnl 39 travels past the roll 38,. During this inter' val the needle advances and penetrates the work, as indicated in Fig. 2, and as the needle' is receiving the loop of thread for the stitch formation, the part c to d of cam 39 passes under the roll V38, and simultaneously therewith the feed slide 8 is moved to carry the awl and welt guide in a direction reverse to the feed movement, the result of such component movements being that the welt guide travels in an inclined or diagonal direction as indiczited by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and measures the welt for the next stitch without sliding along the u pper. At

the end of this diagonal measuring move- 4ment of the welt guide the awl and welt guide are located substantially asA indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereupon the part eZ--e of cam 39 passes under the roll 38, causinor the weltguide to move into contact 4with the work. TheV part e-f of the cam then moves under the roll 38, causing the welt 'guide to remain in contact with the work as theneedle withdraws therefrom prior to the feed movement, whereupon the part f-a of the cam passes under the roll retracting the welt guide, which then as ,sumes its initial or starting position, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The characteristic movement of the welt guide is well illustrated by the graphic representation thereof in Fig. 3wherein, as-

sume the line alu-n to represent the stitch line, the needle being out 'of the Work and.l

the welt guide back from the work.l The welt guide first moves from o to p in .advance of the needle and contacts with the Work where itremains until the needle has passed through the work. Asthe `looper is placin the welt guide moves in a direction diagonal to the work from to g, Fig. 3, at which time it measures the amount of welt for the nextstitch. This diagonal movementof the welt guide at such time does not disturb' the last stitch, and while measuring the Welt for the next stitch obviates the formation of any wrinkles in the shoe upper. The welt guide then moves from g to 1' and serves to resist the pull of the needle as it draws out of the work to its full retracted stroke.

r the loop of thread about the needle,

Prior to. the feed movement,'the welt guide moves from r to s, and 'during feed moveits aS- ment from s to 0 where it reaches sumed starting position.

An important feature of the resent invention, regardless o fldetails .or t e`diernt mechanisms by which it may be carried into` lai effect, is that, as `the welt `guide moves away" from the needle or stitch-making-p0int, 1tv

travels in a ath whichremoves the welt guide from siding contact with the`v upper and obviates the formation of wrinkles or pearance.

crimps. In order that this feature of the present invention be made more clear applicant presents, by Fig. `5, the heretofore proposed movements of the welt guides, wherein, assuming as in Fig. 3 that the line of stitches is r' presented by p', g', and that the welt guide starts from 0 it first moves in advance of the needle to p, and while the needle is receiving the loop of thread the welt guide is moved to g and slides along the work during such movement. The resalt is that thc upper is crimped or wrinkled in front of the moving welt guide to the dual injury of the shoe and its finished ap From g the welt guide 'as moved to l" and during the feed it was moved to start-ing position at p.

that is claimed is:

l. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming mechanism, a welt guide to direct the welt for the action of the stitch forming mechanism, and means to move the Welt guide in a'direction diagonal to the line of feed and out of contact with the work to draw it along the welt.

2. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of stitch forming mechanism ii'icluding a needle, a welt guide to direct the welt .for the action of the stitch forn'ling mechanism, and means acting to move the welt guide along the welt in a direction substantially diagonally to the plane of movement of the needle and from contact with the Work.

3. In a shoe sewing machine, the combina tion of stitch forming mechanism, including a needle, a welt guide to direct the welt for the action of the stitch forming mechanism, means for moving said welt guide `into and out of contact with the work and means opA erative to move the welt guide in a direction away from the plane of movement of the needle while said welt o'uide is being withdrawn from contact \vit1 the work.

4. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a needl a welt guide, and means including a back gage for simultaneously moving said welt gaidein a direct-ion away from the plane of movement of the needle and from contact with the work.

In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a needle, a welt guide, and means to move said welt guide out of contact with the work in a direction inclimal to the line of feed and along the welt while the needle is in the Work.

6. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of aneedle, a wcltguide, and means to move the welt guide toward the work in advance of the needle, then out of contact with the work in a direction inclined to the line of feed to measure welt for the next stitch, then into contact with the work, then from the work and in the direction of feed to initial position.

7. In a shoe sewinfy machine, the combination of a needle, a feed slide, a welt guide carried by the feed slide, a back gage connected to said welt guide, aml means to move the slide and back gage to cause the welt guide to travel in a direction inclined to the line of feed to measure the welt for the next stitch,

8. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a needle, a feed slide, a welt guide pivotally connected to said slide, a back gage, means connecting the back gage and welt guide, and means to move the feed slide and back gage to cause the welt guide to travel in a direction inclined to the line of feed and along the welt.

9. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a needle, a feed slide, a welt guide pivotally connected to said slide, a back gage, means operatively connecting the back gage and welt guide for yieldingly actuating said welt guide upon movementI of said backgage, and means to move the feed slide and back gage to cause the welt guide to travel in a direction inclined to the line of feed and along the welt,

10. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a needle, a welt guide, a back gage, a bell-c `ank lever connecting the welt guide and back gage, one arm of said bellcrank lever being formed of flexibly jointed parts, and 4means for operating the back gage.

ll. In a shoe sewing machine, the combination of a needle, a pivotally mounted welt guide, a back gage having a lbell-crank lever fnlcrnmed thereon, if sliding,'connect-ion bctween one arm of said bell-crank lever and welt guide, means for holding the other arm of said bell-crank from movement with the back eav'c. said arm bein(r )rovidcd with a I 7 f. D llexlblc omt and means to move the back gage. I

ln testimony whereof, I have name to tlns specification, n1 the two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS PLANT.

signed my presence ot iVitnesscs:

.ficrnnn Il. lIANnLnY, An'rn U n lV. Canvnn. 

